Improve Your Communication Skills

Posted on 06/14/2010

One of the most important aspects of any relationship is effective communication. That especially holds true with any customer relationships. June marks the celebration of Effective Communication Month. What a perfect time to evaluate how you’re communicating with your customers.

There’s been a lot of buzz about new communication tools in the form of social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. If you aren’t using these tools, here are some ways to you can reach clients through these sites.

Facebook
Facebook is all about brand recognition. Create a Facebook Page and invite your friends, family and customers to like it. Then you can share information about what’s going on at your organization and any upcoming events you have. Let your company personality show and always be authentic. Customers don’t want to be sold to so provide information that could potentially help them. If you get comments about your business, address them immediately, both good and negative.

Twitter
Twitter gives you 140 characters at a time to attract followers. This is where you can show your expertise by mingling helpful links to found articles with some original content. If you plan to Tweet, you need to be consistent to maintain a following. Plan how often you can contribute and keep it up. There are online tools to help you program regular Tweets.

LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the formal business site. Get your employees to set up accounts to put a face on your company. Potential business partners and future employees will be searching to get a sense for your company’s culture. Conversely, you can check out potential employees and meet industry leaders to strengthen your network.

As with any communication, one of the most important qualities is listening. Don’t do all of the talking. Give your customers opportunities to do that for you. You may just learn ways to improve your business and increase your bottom line.